Well, the truth finally comes out. Confession time for me. I attend and am a member of a PCUSA Presbyterian church. Actually I am a Pentecostal Presbyterian, not a Charismatic Presbyterian. There is a difference, although a slight one, dependening on which arm of the Charismatic movement one is talking about.
At times I am embarrassed to admit I am a member of a PCUSA church because of some of the craziness that comes out of that denomination. My PCUSA church is one of the more evangelcial ones; if it weren't, I surely wouldn't be going there. Well, that said, here is the latest weirdness from the denominational General Assembly convention held last week.
The primary item was getting one step closer to all-over ordination of homosexuals/lesbians. That step was giving each ordaining body within the denomination a wider berth in standards applied to clergy applicants. That is formal lingo for ordaining gays. They did leave the chastity-fidelity part in their constitution. The provision requires fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness. I'm not sure how the ordaining committees can bypass that but I bet some will.
Confusion? You betcha.
But it was the second item that was really wacky. Many in our denomination, especially the feminist Presbyterians, don't like gender-specific words in the Bible or in the doctrine. In other words, they don't like male words. So, this past week at the convention, a proposal was made to change the Trinity from Father, Son and Holy Ghost to other designations.
These are the exact words given by the authors of this recommendation:
It [the Trinity Paper] may not go as far as some of us would like, but it denounces oppressive paradigms that may be upheld by the idea of a God that is exclusively male. The Trinity paper stands solidly in Christian tradition when it authorizes the use of overlooked female images and promotes egalitarian human relationships. Its recommendations should be adopted.
And here are some of the paper's recommendations for various terms in worship and study for the Trinity. Ready? Hold onto your seat.
-Mother, Child and Womb
-Lover, Beloved and Love
-Rainbow, Ark and Dove
-Giver, Gift and Giving
-Truth, Goodness and Beauty
-Sun, Light and Burning Ray
The pastor of the more evangelical Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Southern California (the church where Ronald Reagan was a member and where Dick van Dyke is a member presently) put it this way in his response to this paper,
"They might as well say Huey, Dewey and Louie."
A Prayer Request & Thanks
1 week ago
3 comments:
Diane,
Interesting. After "embracing my inner charismatic" at an AoG church, I moved on to an extremely conservative charismatic PCUSA church that fought tooth and nail against all the stupidity coming down the pike from PCUSA liberals.
So we have a common bond there.
Incidentally, one of the former pastors of that church was R.C. Sproul, Sr. himself! I think he must've left before the charismatic renewal hit the church, though.
Today, that church is a shell of its former self. The conservatives eventually split off, but lost some of the best people to other conservative churches, charismatic or not. The folks who stayed behind got saddled with some bad pastoral staff, just barely holding on in the midst of changing neighborhood demographics and an infiltration of emerging church proponents.
But for one brief shining moment (about ten years actually) that church was amazing.
Diane:
This from my denomination's news page:
http://www.epc.org/general-assembly/EPNews2006/EPNews_7.6.2006.html#presbyterian
#####
Presbyterian Layman declares “Broken Covenant” in PC(USA)
Today’s online edition of the evangelical Presbyterian Layman newspaper declared “The 217th General Assembly has shattered the covenant that embodies the essential beliefs and practices that define the Presbyterian Church (USA).” This declaration refers to the adoption of the Peace, Unity and Purity task force report making application of constitutional standards a presbytery matter and the reception of “The Trinity: God's Love Overflowing” report which commends additional names for Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Layman makes clear the implications of its declaration – “Accordingly, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has broken covenant and invited schism. Its repudiations of our historic bond are the culmination of serial separations from the denomination's historic beliefs and practices that began decades ago.” In the article, sessions and congregations are urged to take measures to secure assets and explore fellowship with other like-minded Presbyterians.
#####
Just wanted to know other Presbyterians agree with you.
I am rather curious to know what you will do when your denomination does decree homosexual clergy to be a welcome thing. Will you then leave the denomination?
Post a Comment